The 45s, The Joiners, Southampton, November 30

WHEN a band says that a particular moment changed their lives forever, you'd naturally think they'd been smoking something dodgy - but in The 45s' case, it happens to be true.

The 45s, who hail from Winchester and consist of Matt Hales, Ben Hales, Stephen Cousins and Matt Vincent-Brown, decided their previous band Ruth needed a major overhaul and it was a gig in Austin, Texas which sealed their fate.

As Ruth, the band released the album Harrison and singles I Don't Know and Fear Of Flying, and even got to perform I Don't Know live on the BBC's National Lottery Show - but the boys weren't happy.

The final straw came on a US tour supporting Pimpadelia last year, where the two bands fell out and Pimpadelia refused to lend Ruth their piano (Ruth were a Ben Folds Five-type outfit and a piano was their main instrument).

Ruth decided on the spot to play a completely new set, with lead singer and pianist taking the role of rock'n'roll star as opposed to tickling the ivories.

So the band went to Austin, Texas as Ruth, but returned as the 45s.

"Things weren't going very well with the label we were signed to," explains lead singer Matt Hales, "and we had loads of new material which we really liked but we didn't think we'd have a chance with it in our current set-up.

"We went out to Austin, Texas and did the South By South West Festival and that was a real eye-opener.

"We basically played a whole set of completely new stuff in a very different way.

"The band we were supporting wouldn't lend us their piano and it got very messy, so we played new material in a completely new way and it made us feel like a new band."

When the band returned to England they laid Ruth to rest and became The 45s, signing to Mercury Records within six months.

"When we became The 45s, we wanted people to judge us as a new band. People who liked Ruth before will like us anyway and people who didn't like us before will judge us again because we're a new band.

"In the nine months since we signed to Mercury we've had more good

experiences than the four years we were signed with Ruth. It's crazy what being a new band can do."

The 45s have already been on tour this year with Shed Seven, Soft Parade and The Cooper Temple Clause, while their new single Something Real was released last Monday.

The 45s are supporting Clearlake at The Joiners, Southampton on November 30. For more information, call 023 8022 5612.